The Universe's Worst

[Johnny Pneumatic]

The chemical element polonium, it makes hydrogen cyanide look like healthy food.

The chemical element actinium, if you see a grain of it large enough for the human eye to detect, you're going to die from the radiation dose you get.

The protein ricin, one drop will kill 200+ humans.

Two neutron stars crashing into each other, say goodbye to all living things based on carbon within 100 lightyears of the event. It's the gamma radiation from it that does it, just in case you're wondering.

A black hole, once any atom based matter enters the event horizon it's torn into quarks. What happens after that is still unknown.

What happens to strange matter if it enters a black hole guys and gals? Strange matter is already only quarks without empty space, and thus is titanically massive per volume.

Gamma Ray Bursters (GRBs), if one of these happened within a few tens of lightyears of Earth and once the radiation got to us at the speed of light, Earth would be vaporised; probably all the way to a plasma.

[geni]

Yopu apear to have a rather lifecentric POV when judging worst.

[espritch]

Big Bang. Whole universe pops out of no where, and things have been just higgily piggily ever since.

[clarsct]

You have two worst elements. Decide.


Of course it's life-centric. What's worst would be what is worst for US.


Of course, is it worse to be blown up in a supernova, or to have a magnetron pass into low earth orbit?

Hard telling, really.

Then again, you could be exposed to all of these things, and have a headache, which would be worse.

[wdsmith]

Originally posted by SkepticJ
The chemical element actinium, if you see a grain of it large enough for the human eye to detect, you're going to die from the radiation dose you get.
Well, that depends on how close you are to the particle, how long you stay near it, and which isotope(s) are involved. Most isotopes of actinium decay primarily by emitting an alpha particle. Alpha radiation does not have significant penetrating power; you would have to swallow the particle to get a significant alpha dose.

Of course, the daughter nuclides from decay of actinium may have different modes of decay, which also affects the danger in this scenario.

[Soapy Sam]

Originally posted by clarsct

Of course, is it worse to be blown up in a supernova, or to have a magnetron pass into low earth orbit?

Hard telling, really.



You mean magnetron as in microwave oven? Would we all be toast then?
Soggy toast?

[Hellbound]

Worst things?

A Lieutenant who says "Based on my experience..."

A Captain who says "I've been thinking..."

:D

Some of you will laugh, the rest are civillians ;)

[Freakshow]

Originally posted by Huntsman
Worst things?

A Lieutenant who says "Based on my experience..."

A Captain who says "I've been thinking..."

:D

Some of you will laugh, the rest are civillians ;)

Hey, I'm laughing, and I'm a civilian! :)

I just replaced "Lieutenant" and "Captain" with words like "Manager", "Executive", "VP", "Sr. VP", etc. ;)

[Correa Neto]

Originally posted by Freakshow
Hey, I'm laughing, and I'm a civilian! :)

I just replaced "Lieutenant" and "Captain" with words like "Manager", "Executive", "VP", "Sr. VP", etc. ;)

Exactly what I did.:D

Edited to add:
"I´ve been thinking" can also be creepy when said by fundies, woos, etc.end edit

[Dr. Fendetestas]

Originally posted by espritch
Big Bang. Whole universe pops out of no where, and things have been just higgily piggily ever since.

'In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move'. Douglas Adams, of course.